When it comes to collision repair, many drivers think about busted bumpers or dings in the door. Although these types of damage can negatively affect your vehicle, there is another type of damage that you may be tempted to overlook when it comes to collision repair.

Damaged hubcaps should always be replaced before you continue to drive your vehicle. You might damage a hubcap while involved in a serious auto accident or by scraping against a curb or boulder in a parking lot. If you want to provide your vehicle with maximum protection, you need to replace hubcaps that sustain damage.

Hubcaps keep your wheel clean.

One of the important roles that your hubcaps play in the maintenance of your vehicle is keeping dirt and debris out of your wheels. As you drive down the roadway, dust or gravel can become lodged in your wheels if they are not protected by a hubcap.

Dirt and debris can compromise the performance of your braking system and cause premature wear on your brake pads and rotors. Replacing a damaged hubcap will ensure you retain a barrier against your wheels and the dirt and debris found on public roadways.

Hubcaps protect your lug nuts.

Your tires are attached to your vehicle with several lug nuts. These lug nuts are typically made from durable steel and are designed to hold each wheel firmly in place. Hubcaps cover lug nuts and provide them with shelter against exposure to the elements.

Leaving your lug nuts exposed could result in corrosion or rust that might compromise the strength of each lug nut. Your safety might be at risk should a lug nut break and alter the wheel alignment of your vehicle. Keeping a quality hubcap on each wheel at all times will help you reduce the deterioration of your lug nuts.

Hubcaps offer added stability.

Many hubcaps are designed to add stability to the tires installed on your vehicle. Failing to replace a damaged hubcap with a new one could leave your tires more vulnerable to wear and tear on the sidewalls of the exposed tire.

A hubcap can also fill the empty space at the center of your tires, helping to reinforce the rims of your vehicle and reduce the number of tire-related problems you experience in the future.

Repairing your vehicle after a collision should include the replacement of any hubcaps that have sustained serious damage.